The Cairo metropolis, one of the most populous in the world, is collapsing. So, President al-Sisi has ordered the construction of a new capital, as yet unnamed. The lavish $50+ billion project. But the rising skyscrapers and monuments are already casting sinister shadows. Along the ultra-modern twelve-lane highway from Cairo across the desert to Suez,…
If there is a sector in Africa that is giving great satisfaction not only to the economy (and therefore to the GDP) but to the image of a continent rich in creativity, this is the fashion sector. An industry, that of fashion, a source of pride for those who work in it, for Africans on…
Many African governments continue to focus on fossil fuels. And, despite enormous potential, investment in renewable sources by multinationals is not taking off. The next international climate conference is scheduled in Dubai from 30 November until December 12th. Over the past two decades of the $2.8 trillion invested globally in renewable energy, only 2% has…
The projects of young technological entrepreneurs in healthcare, agriculture, the environment, logistics, finance and e-commerce are multiplying. Agile, young, innovative. And certainly full of vitality. This is the startup sector in Africa. In recent years, ideas applied to technology – by Africans to solve African problems and needs – have multiplied. So much so that…
The country’s diamond, copper, gold, and manganese mines are in the hands of a circle of loyalists of President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, members of the ruling MPLA party. Diamonds, copper, gold, manganese. A small circle of entrepreneurs and ‘friends’ of President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço and members of the ruling party Popular Movement for…
The Groupe Bogolan Kasobané, from Mali, revolutionized the art scene in their country when they abandoned Western painting techniques and, for the first time, applied to contemporary art a traditional Malian technique, Bogolan, which uses clay to paint on fabrics. The word ‘Bogolan’ in the Bambara language means ‘made from the earth’. It refers to…
A community of Comboni Missionary Sisters work at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bébédjia, dedicating their lives with passion and joy to serving those most in need. We visited the place. Bébédjia, a town located in the Eastern Logone region of Chad, a crossing point on the road that leads from Cameroon to the Central African…
For many African countries, political independence from the colonial powers has not brought the hoped-for economic development. One positive exception is the island nation of Mauritius. What are the reasons for its success? Mauritius is a volcanic island of over 2000 km² in the Pacific Ocean, about 2000 km from the African coast. It is…
There are now about fifty scattered in thirty countries. They aim to change the connotations of agriculture. For now, they are notable for conflicts with rural communities. Agricultural growth poles, agro-industrial parks, growth hubs and corridors and special economic zones. They have different names but the same purpose: to activate agricultural development. Sponsored as a…
It is called participatory genetic improvement of seeds, takes place in the fields, involves farmers, and stems from the reduction of biodiversity. It prevents seeds from being controlled by a few. The FAO defines food sovereignty as the ‘right of peoples, communities and countries to determine their own agricultural, labour, fisheries, food and land policies…
The Yoruba people are one of the largest in West Africa; they live in southern Nigeria and Benin. They have developed a refined culture, at the centre of which is a religious world rich in symbols, mythologies, and ceremonies. One of the most characteristic aspects of the Yoruba religion is the masks. One of these…
The director of the Institute for Research and Promotion of Alternatives in Development, Mamadou Goita, criticizes the policies of the African Development Bank. And he argues that it is necessary to transition to a model based on access to the land, the rational use of natural resources and the re-appropriation of the genetic heritage is…
In Burkina Faso, the ‘Mother of the Sahel’ brings education and hope to forcibly displaced children.
As conflict forced thousands of children to flee to the…